How NOT to fire people in the 21st century
AOL CEO Tim Armstrong can be heard on a leaked audio clip of a conference call firing someone in a way you should never ever in a million years fire anyone. The day before, Armstrong had told investors in the quarterly earnings call that Patch – AOL’s local news network – would shrink from 900 […]
Finding new ways to unionise – the tactics of US fast food workers
Fast food workers across the United States have started walking out on their jobs and demanding a ‘living wage,’ which is double what they’re currently earning. This is interesting, according to Time magazine, because fast food employees have traditionally been unable to take collective action because of the extremely high turnover in the sector (and […]
Interview: Kathy Allison, Head of HR at boohoo.com
Kathy Allison is Head of HR at fashion retailer boohoo.com. 1. Tell us something we don’t know about employee engagement and how it works? There shouldn’t really be anything the profession doesn’t know about employee engagement, as it isn’t rocket science. My simple rules would be that employee engagement has to be bought into from […]
True engagement – why managers need to be seen as ‘real people’
Managers and leaders within an organisation can make a difference to engagement levels, but only if they themselves are engaged, trustworthy, authentic and crystal clear on their role and what the organisation needs from them. They must then work with their teams to align their personal goals, motivators and drivers to job satisfaction and their […]
Making the case for ‘disabled-confident’ businesses
In July the Government launched a two year campaign to identify and tackle the challenges facing disabled workers across the UK by making businesses more 'disabled-confident'. But in order to bring this campaign to life, there is a huge job to be done in educating businesses about the benefits in creating more inclusive workforces. There […]
How to develop ‘winners’ at work
The UK’s success in the 2012 Olympics and our recent Wimbledon triumph has highlighted the importance of coaching as a means of developing high performance and realising people’s potential. The surprising truth is that many of the methods used to create champions in sport can also be used to develop ‘winners’ at work. Winning in […]
Firms need to review nature of employer/employee relationship
Whether or not we choose to admit it, changing relationship status is something we are all too keen to keep under review in the world of social media. But are you as careful when it comes to reviewing the employment status of your company’s staff? If not, take heed of the case of Dakin v […]
Onboarding: do we know it all yet?
You might think that there is nothing new to learn about onboarding but you’d be wrong. Onboarding is one of the most important strategies for business at the moment and that is because many companies are still trying to perfect the process. So it was with great interest that we read a recent survey report […]
Sales clerk fired for showing payslip on Instagram
Wade Groom, a sales clerk in Lacoste’s flagship store in Manhattan, was fired recently for snapping a photo of his payslip and uploading it to Instagram. Alongside the image, Groom vented his frustration with a call-to-arms against capitalism. And the standard of accommodation in New York. “Paycheck. Still silly to me. Ever since I was […]
Doing business in Egypt – cultural considerations for HR
The Arab Republic of Egypt is potentially a very lucrative market for organisations looking to expand into North Africa. However, many challenges remain. Political stability issues and market practices that can come across as outdated or heavily bureaucratic can put off many organisations that may otherwise have a good fit in Egypt. On the other […]
Going, going, gone? How to keep a lid on workplace data
The risk of unmanaged data being lost or stolen has never been so great. What can employers do to make sure we protect the data in our business? Have you ever noticed the ill-matched absurdities of on the one hand, the Data Protection Act (one of the most misunderstood, misused, misquoted pieces of legislation I […]
How exactly do you get volume recruitment right?
Recruiting the right people can be a major headache for any organisation. But when you need to recruit large numbers of frontline sales, service and support staff every year – as employers do in sectors such as retail, call centres and hospitality – that headache is multiplied many times over. Volume recruitment demands two things […]
Part-time workers – take a long-term view every time
There has been a lot of debate recently regarding part-time workers and recent research paints quite a negative view as it reveals 75 per cent of part-time workers feel trapped in their jobs and unable to progress. In my opinion, this is partly down to employers taking quite a short-term view to their recruitment strategy. […]
How to use storytelling to influence people
"A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared stuck. The man decided to help the butterfly and with a […]
Social leadership – the style we should strive for
I remember visiting my father at work. He was a university lecturer, and visits entailed walking through long corridors, past the refectory and library, until we reached a rather severe looking door, which we would knock on. After some time, the door would open, revealing a room strewn with paperwork, bookshelves piled high, chairs submerged […]
Interview: Helen Ives, Director of People, PEER1 Hosting
Helen Ives is Director of People at PEER1 Hosting, following a long career in HR that has included time with insurer Aviva and shipping line Maersk. How has the HR function changed in the last five years? The HR industry has dramatically changed over the last five years and is now a strategic partner to […]
HR tips 2004
All our HR tips from 2004: click on the links to read any of the HR tips. December 2004Entertainment and giftsManaging capabilityReducing the P11D workload November 2004Making rules workPayroll tip: Rolled-up holiday payNational Insurance numbers, P14s and P46sWorkplace relocationReturning company clothing October 2004Racial balanceFrequent absenceBad language in the workplace September 2004Employing EU nationalsRevealing employee informationWage […]
Why measuring the impact of training is absolutely essential
Our research recently found that only 28% of the 388 people we polled globally collect and use data within the Learning and Development department to monitor and measure the impact of training. Twenty-three percent collate information but find it a cumbersome process and fail to do anything with it afterwards. It's no surprise then to […]
Key insights from KPMG organizational innovation report
KPMG recently released a new report, “HR as a driver for organizational innovation.” The report is an interesting read and focuses on the role of HR in driving creativity and innovation in the workplace in place of traditional drivers of innovation such as R&D. Main findings: The most successful corporate innovation strategies are the ones […]
Interview: Kelly Butler, Global Head of HR Operations, Rackspace
Kelly previously took part in a webinar with HRZone and software provider Workday entitled "Is Employee Engagement the secret sauce of HR?" 1. You’re a big fan of ‘evergreen goals.’ What’s the thinking behind this—improvements in engagement and employee development? Business moves fast today, and cloud computing is leading the pack. At Rackspace it’s unrealistic […]
